Our most popular horseback wilderness adventure is the 5-day pack trip. Fit this trip neatly into your one-week vacation with your flight or road trip on either side!

What to Expect

Monday: After we pack up all the gear onto the mules, our guests leave the Swan Mountain Outfitters Base Camp location off of Lion Creek Road Friday morning and we’ll ride to our upper camp at the top of Lion Creek Basin, some 6,000 feet above sea level. It’s a full day’s ride of 14 miles so we’ll stop for a picnic lunch in the shade of old growth cedars.

Tuesday-Thursday: We’ll begin with a hearty breakfast before the day’s adventures riding out into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, taking in the majestic views. The excursion we choose is based on what the group is most interested in doing whether that be a full day of fishing, riding ridges, or hiking peaks There are certain steep trails which will require you to dismount your horse and hike down about a quarter mile stretch. You’ll always return to upper camp each evening where the camp cook has prepared a hot and hearty meal. Around camp, relax at the creek side and scan the craggy peaks for mountain goats. The sun goes down late at our latitude in the summers, but if you stay up by the campfire, you’ll gaze up at more stars than you ever dreamed existed.

As for the daily adventures, we’ll pack along picnic lunches and perhaps our tackle boxes, swim trunks, or hiking boots. The excursion we choose is based on what the group is most interested in doing. Some options are:

• Visit quaint and clear alpine lakes for a dip or fishing for native cutthroat trout
• Focus on trail riding into the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. Steer your horse through mountain passes and along the ridges, taking in the majestic views and hoping to spot some big game.
• Stretch your legs with a little hike up the stream in camp. Or ride up towards Swan Peak or Owl Peak and tie off your horse, then hike even higher! approaching the glaciers and the rocky crags of the mountain goat and enjoying birds eye views of the Rocky Mountains.

Friday: We’ll mount back up for the final trek down the mountain and back to base camp. Stopping of course for a picnic lunch and returning to base camp in the late afternoon or early evening. Again, on two separate steep switchbacks in the trail we will ask you to dismount your horse and hike a couple of short 75 yard stretches. This is for your safety as well as the horse.

Read more about this trip on this page – WILDERNESS PACK TRIPS

To see many more photos of our pack trips please click here – GALLERY